Is there an exception to the rule which is implied in
the words of Jesus, ''Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened to you"? Of all the thousands who,
in the course of centuries, have heard and followed this invitation, was
there ever a single individual who could say, "I tested the truth of
this promise, I asked, I sought, I knocked, but in vain"? No, not one.
He may have asked for days, without receiving; he may have been a seeker
for months, without finding; he may have anxiously knocked for a long
period, without obtaining an entrance: like John Bunyan and Martin
Luther, he may for a long time have languished in darkness and fetters;
like Augustine, he may have made many unsuccessful efforts, and been
thrown back again and again by the superior strength of the world and
his unrenewed nature and Satan; he may have been held captive by the
dazzling sophistry of human wisdom and philosophy, like many a sceptic
in our own day,—but, whenever God implants in the soul of man the desire
after truth, light, and peace, it cannot be otherwise but that finally
the victory is won—the weary pilgrim, roused by God to leave the city of
destruction, at last finds rest at the Cross of reconciliation. The
history of Cornelius speaks comfort and encouragement to all sincere
seekers, and tells them to wait patiently and pray perseveringly—"The
Lord will perfect that which concerneth you."

Cornelius was prepared to hear the Divine message,
but the servant of the Lord was not yet prepared to preach it to him.
Peter, the apostle of the circumcision, was chosen by God to admit the
first Gentile into the visible Church. It was through his
instrumentality that the Jewish Christian Church had been founded in
Jerusalem. The peculiar gifts which God had bestowed upon him, and which
the Spirit had sanctified, singled him out to be the representative and
leader of the apostles. We would naturally expect that the first Gentile
should be instructed and baptized by Paul, who was appointed to labour,
not so much among his kinsmen according to the flesh, as the other
nations, and to whom was given such a clear insight into the counsel of
God concerning Israel and the Gentiles. But, on a more thoughtful
consideration, it will appear that it was in a manner meet that the
admission of Cornelius into the Church of Christ should be brought about
by him who had planted the churches of Judea.

This event was, as it were, the commencement of the
times of the Gentiles. The dawn of the truth among the Gentiles, was
synchronous with the approaching sunset among Israel; and there seems,
if we may so express it, a deep and delicate significance and propriety
in the fact of the apostle of the circumcision being chosen to introduce
this important transition.

The Gentile reader of this day finds it not easy to
understand the great difficulty which Jews, and even converted Jews,
like Peter, felt, when the idea was presented to them, that the Gentiles
were to be admitted at once, and without passing through Judaism, into
the fellowship of Christ's Church.

Let us first remember, that the Old Testament is
as universal as the New, and that the New Testament is as Jewish
as the Old. The Old Testament speaks as much of the enlightenment,
the conversion, and the blessedness of the Gentile nations, as the
Gospels, Epistles, and the prophetic book of the New recognise the
peculiar privileges of Israel, and the unchangeable purposes of mercy
which God has concerning them. The universal character of the Old
Testament meets us in the very first verse of Genesis; it is the
constant theme of the prophets' praise and joy, that all nations and
kindred and tribe3 will be blessed by Israel's God and Redeemer. How
many beautiful glimpses into the Gentile world do the Ancient Scriptures
give us, shewing us that the Lord had not forgotten them, and did not
leave them without revelations of His truth and goodness! Do they not
lead us to imagine that Melchisedec, king of Salem, was the centre of
God-fearing believers? that there were devout worshippers of Jehovah
like Job, in the land of Uz? can we conceive that Joseph in Egypt
refrained from testifying for the God of his fathers? Do we not read of
Jethro in the land of Midian as of one who was not without the knowledge
of God? May not the case of Naaman the Syrian, who, through the words of
the little maid, was led to the prophet of Israel, where he found health
for his body, and peace for his soul, have been one of many instances of
like nature? or that still more wonderful mission of Jonah to the
Ninevites, and the influence of Daniel in Babylon -
traces of which we find in the inquiry of the three wise men of
the East about the new-born King of the Jews? It shews utter ignorance
of the Old Testament to speak of it,as an
exclusive book.

But notwithstanding that the prophecies concerning
the Gentiles are so numerous and distinct, it was not strange that the
believing Jews should expect that the Gentiles would require first to
become Jews, and adopt the law of Moses, ere they could be received into
the communion of the Church. It is difficult for us to understand a
future dispensation or period in the history of God's kingdom. It is
difficult for us now to realise the future, when Israel shall again be
restored to its natural and divinely-appointed priority, (the very thing
which Paul anticipated, Rom. xi., having to a great extent
occurred—-viz., the Gentiles not understanding the mystery concerning
Israel.) In like manner was it difficult for Peter and the believing
Jews to understand the approaching period of the Gentiles. They were not
actuated by pride, although they were not free from it; even as now the
ignorance concerning Israel's future cannot be attributed to want of
humility. But when the golden time has come, when not Israel without the
Gentiles, nor the Gentiles without Israel, but both together shall know
and serve the Lord, then shall we understand the manifold wisdom
of God in the dispensations of His kingdom, and exclaim with thankful
and adoring hearts, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God!"

God taught Peter by a vision. The apostle saw heaven
opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great
sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were
all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and
creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, "Pise,
Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord!" Header, meditate
on this Not so, and learn to admire it. Peter cannot even obey a vision,
which contradicts the written Word of God. He feels his conscience bound
by that sure "Word which the Lord has given for the guidance of His
people. (Compare 2 Pet. i. 16-19.) With firmness, and, at the same time,
with the true humility of a child and servant, he said reverently, ''Not
so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."
The vision declared .—"What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common." This was done thrice, in order to impress it solemnly on the
apostle's memory and mind. The message appeared dark and mysterious.
Peter doubted within himself, and meditated on its meaning, waiting for
further light and direction from above. While in this state, the Spirit
said unto him, ''Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get
thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them."
Peter could not fail to perceive that there was a connexion between the
vision and the arrival of the strangers. After having heard their
message, he welcomed and lodged them; and the following morning,
accompanied by certain brethren from Joppa, he went with them to Cesarea.

There a solemn assembly was anxiously awaiting his
arrival. Cornelius had called together his kinsmen and friends, for he
felt that the most important and blessed event of his life was at hand.
Oh, how earnest, and yet how joyful must have been the thoughts of this
Gentile Simeon, waiting for the consolation of Israel! Yet there may
have been fear mixed up with hopeful expectation; for can the timid
heart of the sinner anticipate the peacefulness and joyousness of the
Divine message?

When Peter entered, Cornelius, we are told,
worshipped him. As the messenger of God, as the directly commissioned
herald of the Divine counsel, Peter appeared to him worthy of more than
ordinary veneration; but the apostle, as all servants of the Lord,
shrinking back with horror from such homage, took him up, saying, ''I
myself also am a man." We are God's ambassadors and heralds, but not
God's representatives and vicars. He then explains the reason why he, a
Jew, came to them who were Gentiles. It was on his way to Cesarea that
the full meaning of the vision was disclosed to him. God's message often
lies dormant within us, till in the course of providence, by meditation
and prayer, it springs up, delighting us with its beauty and fragrance,
and bringing forth fruit unto holiness. Cornelius replies by narrating
the vision in which God had mercifully directed him to the apostle. How
beautiful is his narrative in its unadorned simplicity, and how solemn
the conclusion—"Now therefore are we all here present, to hear all
things that are commanded thee of God!" This is a true description of a
Christian congregation. They are assembled—and they feel it—before God,
to hear not man's wisdom, but the message of the most High, a message
sent expressly to them. O congregation of Christ, will not thy heavenly
Father give thee daily bread, will He send His poor and hungry children
empty away, will He not hear the prayers of the flock and the pastor,
and lead them to green pastures and beside the still waters? Then Peter
opened his mouth. Oh, how easy and delightful is it to preach God's
truth to earnest, humble minds, who thus expect a message from God! Had
we congregations like that assembled in the house of the Centurion,
would not preachers like Peter be more frequent? Is it only in the
preacher that prayer and meditation are necessary preparations for the
sanctuary? If he is to preach with faith and love and power, and if he
cannot obtain this without prayer, are not the people to hear and to
receive the word with meekness? and is not the spirit of meekness a
stranger except to praying and waiting hearts? Even a Paul beseeches the
Ephesians to pray for him, ''that utterance may be given to me, that I
may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel!" And
not merely in theirsolitude and
prayer-meetings ought people to send up fervent supplications, that God
may send and bless the message; but during the sermon itself, preacher
and people ought to be in the spirit of prayer, as before God, so that
the Amen at the conclusion of the sermon may be not merely a
formal but a real expression of the spirit of humble and expectant
supplication which pervaded the service.

Peter opened his mouth and declared the counsel of
God. He felt that he addressed a prepared people, and that it was his
duty to preach to them the glad tidings of salvation. The sum and
substance of the message Peter announces, (ver. 36,) is Peace by
Jesus Christ. There is a peace of ignorance, of worldliness, of sin,
of superstition, of sentimental self-made religiousness; but there is
only one kind of true, lasting, and secure peace, even by Jesus
Christ,—a peace which has its origin in the love of the Father, against
whom we have rebelled—which is founded on the expiation of
Golgotha—which is imparted by the Spirit, and which, therefore, passeth
all understanding, and keeps our hearts and minds unto life everlasting.
It is a peace in God which is disturbed and clouded by all sin,
selfishness, and worldliness—which is from above, and can, therefore,
prosper only when we live in heavenly places. It is a peace which is
based upon righteousness, even the righteousness of Christ embraced by
faith, and which leads to joy in the Holy Ghost. (Rom. xiv. 7.) It is a
peace which the world, which aught flesh-born, cannot give, for it is
spirit-born; and which the world cannot take away, for it is independent
of all outward difficulties, trials, and privations. It is the peace of
God, and therefore holy, pure, perfect, eternal. God, saith Peter, has
preached peace by Jesus Christ. The Word of God made flesh—that
is, Christ is peace. Jesus, the manifestation of the Father's
inmost heart and thought towards sinful men, is the Father's message to
the world, saying, Peace be with you. Write it then in thy heart, 0
sinner. When Jesus approaches guilty sinners, and says to them, Peace be
with you, He is only saying what He has received of the Father, He is
revealing to them the mind of God.

Peter unfolds the message, by setting before them:—

(1.) Christ's life and death. His life was the life
of Immanuel, God with us, (ver. 38.) He brought the truth of God, and
the power of God, enlightening and comforting and healing. The Anointed,
full of the Holy Ghost, went about doing good. This is the simple
description of His holy, spotless, righteous life. His death was the
death of the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. It revealed
the depth of man's sin, hatred against God and His law, and alienation
from His love. His death on the tree (ver. 39) points out that He was
made a curse for us, He, who came out of infinite blessedness and glory.
And as in His life He was Immanuel, so on the cross also it is the Son
of God who is obedient unto death ; God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself.

(2.) Christ's resurrection. God acknowledged Jesus as
His Son, He accepted His sacrifice as an atonement for our sin, He set
His seal to the exclamation of the dying Saviour—"It is finished," when
He raised Jesus from the dead. Hence our salvation is sure and complete.
In Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, we also are raised to
newness of life, and to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and
that fadeth not away. The resurrection of the Covenant Head is the peace
and joy of His people. Therefore, they commemorate it every week, and
regard the day on which God made the stone which the builders rejected,
the head stone of the corner, as a day which the Lord has made, in which
they rejoice and are glad. And because Christ's resurrection is the
ground of our hope, the risen Saviour appeared unto His disciples,
condescended to the weakness and unbelief of Thomas, ate and drank with
the apostles, (ver. 41,) and thus fitted them to testify with all
boldness and certainty of the great fact.

Peter having explained the Lord's salvation, applies
the message, by declaring,

(3.) That Jesus is ordained of God to be judge of the
quick and dead. On the one hand, this shews us the blessedness of all
who trust in Him. Jesus, who loved us unto death—Jesus, who is touched
with a feeling of our infirmity-—Jesus, who is not ashamed to call us
brethren, the God-man full of sympathy and compassion; nay more, He, who
is the Head of the Church, the Bridegroom of our souls, of whom we can
say not merely that we are with Him or near Him, but in Him, He,
according to the wonderful wisdom and mercy of the Father, is to be our
judge ! On the other hand, shews that there is only one way of salvation
and of escape, and exhorts us solemnly and urgently to behold the Lamb
of God, to kiss the Son, to yield ourselves to Him in humble submission.
But if there be any doubt still on thy mind as to His willingness to
receive thee, Peter declares finally, that God has no other message to
mankind, but that of forgiveness. All the prophets testify of Him, as of
a Saviour and Redeemer. If this be the message entrusted to all
prophets, then it follows, that by doubting this, you doubt the truth of
all God's Word; and if you believe that God's Word is true, then
you cannot doubt but that whosoever believeth in Him shall receive
remission of sins. O thou suspicious heart, slow to believe all that God
hath said through prophets and apostles concerning Christ, unlearn thy
thoughts, (Isa. lv. 7, 8,) and learn God's thoughts, though they be
heaven-high above thy hopes and anticipations. "Whosoever" believeth!
Jew or Gentile, old or young; though his sins be many, and his guilt
aggravated, and his past ingratitude and indifference exceedingly great.
''Whosoever," methinks is a wide gate; is there not room for thee to
enter? "Whosoever," methinks is a strait gate. Proud self-righteous man
does not like to enter merely on the strength of "whosoever." We like to
be somebody, not am/body. It is a kind of pride, which makes the sinner
wish to find something in the Bible about himself as an individual, over
and above what refers to him as a sinner. Yet, Jesus says: If
any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. But blessed be God,
He makes us come on the strength of whosoever. So came Paul, not
as a Pharisee according to the law blameless, zealously working out his
righteousness, obeying the precepts and commandments; but what he
thought formerly gain, he counted but loss, and threw it aside, and came
as "whosoever." So came the thief on the cross, and threw aside his past
sin and guilt, and did not allow it to keep him back, for the Spirit
explained to him "whosoever." O reader, whosoever thou art, where
standest thou? Hast thou entered in at the strait gate, and has the
Spirit ministered unto thee an abundant entrance into the kingdom
of grace and truth? God forgives through Christ. Thou know-est it so
well, hast heard it so often, couldst explain it thyself; I am almost
afraid to weary thee with repeating it again, that God forgives fully,
freely, presently, everlastingly; but it is not lost time, to ask
ourselves: Have I received it? And am I living as one of God's forgiven
children?

Such was Peter's sermon; and while he yet spake, the
Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. Then they called
Jesus, Lord, and magnified God. For the Spirit reveals Christ in His
glory and beauty, so that the soul desires Him; in His mercy and love,
so that the soul draws near with humility and courage. Then the word
proves itself to be the power of God; the entrance of Thy word giveth
light, it giveth understanding unto the simple; the Lord sends out His
light and truth, to bring us unto His holy hill, and to His tabernacle,
and to praise Him as God—our God. Then we believe the glad tidings and
rejoice, and passing from darkness into marvellous light, from death
unto life, we adore and bless the God of our salvation. "For, lo, the
winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the
earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the
turtle is heard in our land." The apostle and his Jewish companions were
astonished, and doubtless filled with gratitude and joy. Now they saw
that the Lord had given His Spirit to the Gentiles, and there could be
no doubt or hesitation in their mind, but cheerfully and with an adoring
heart Peter commanded Cornelius and his friends to be baptized in the
name of the Lord. The covenant was confirmed and sealed; they were
solemnly dedicated to be Christ's.

Now Cornelius has received, has found, has entered.
He has received light from God and found acceptance with Him; a perfect
and sure salvation, an everlasting righteousness, a heavenly peace, a
divine joy, which no man can take from him. He has found the pearl of
great price, even Him in whom dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead
bodily, and who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption; in whom, and through whom we have all
things; of whose fulness we receive grace for grace. He has entered into
the family of God, the Church of the first-born, the congregation of the
Lord Jesus Christ; no longer an alien from the commonwealth of Israel,
and stranger from the covenants of promise, but a fellow-citizen with
the saints and of the household of God.

Blessed be God, that Cornelius persevered; that he
did not rest satisfied until he had found God; that he did not make
obedience, prayers, alms, his Saviour; that his soul panted after the
living God. "Seek ye my face!" is God's gracious command and
invitation. Hast thou seen God face to face, and is thy life preserved?
Hast thou had thy Peniel? Jesus is the revelation, the countenance of
God: to see Him is to live for ever. (Gen. xxxii. 30; John xiv. 9, xvii.
3.)

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